What Is the Soil PH Level?

Among the analyses you will get information on will be a factor called “pH”. Now, a lot is made of soil pH. In laymen’s terms, pH is a measure of the soil acidity or alkalinity. The scale goes from 1.0 to 14.0, with 7.0 being neutral. The lower the numbers go from 7.0, the more acidic the soil. The higher they go above 7.0, the more alkaline. The reason soil pH matters is that nutrients in the soil are only available to plants if the soil pH is within a certain range. Certain plants actually prefer one or the other, sometimes even drastically. Rhododendrons, for example love an acidic soil. Blueberries too. Yet, other plants like Lilacs and Clematis like just the opposite. Ironically, soils, no matter how much we augment them originally, will eventually revert to the original pH. It is always worth testing over time with an eye to that important fact. Changing pH If your pH is off, you will get a recommendation for adding either lime, to raise the alkalinity, or sulfur, to lower the ...  more